Offline World: the Internet as Social Infrastructure among the Unconnected in Quasi-Rural Illinois
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Offline World: the Internet as Social Infrastructure among the Unconnected in Quasi-Rural Illinois Danielle Schmidt 1
& Séamus
A. Power 2
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The United States continues to experience a persistent rural-urban digital divide. However, in this area of research, less attention has been paid to the divide in regions between these two demographic and geographic extremes. In this paper, we examine the perceived effects of internet inaccessibility in this in-between space, which we term “quasi-rural.” Using quasi-rural Illinois as a case study, semi-structured interview data is used to highlight the experiences of those who are directly affected by the digital divide, as well as those who provide service alternatives and advocate for internet connectivity. With this data, we describe the personal experience of at-home internet inaccessibility. We then focus on how limited, or a lack of access shapes the perceptions of community connectedness and disadvantage among those affected by the divide. Our findings demonstrate the internet’s function as social infrastructure; differences in access are then conceptualized as a form of socioeconomic inequality. Keywords Digital divide . Quasi-rural . Rural-urban divide . Social capital . Social
infrastructure . Socioeconomic inequality Technological advancements and heightened public demand are moving the United States closer to ubiquitous internet connectivity. Satellite, though currently not a sufficient alternative to wired broadband, seems to have a promising future as the technology develops and popularizes. 5G – the fifth generation of wireless – will improve and extend the internet’s reach. With assistance from government programs and increasing consumer demand, fiber optic cables are slowly making their way into the homes of more Americans. But in a nation where a near constant online presence is the norm, there still exists a scattered population left offline. * Danielle Schmidt [email protected] Séamus A. Power [email protected]; https://www.seamusapower.com 1
Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
2
Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København K, Denmark
Integr Psych Behav
It is this offline population that we focus on in this paper. Their experiences, in a time when American society is increasingly dependent on the internet, offer a unique lens into the changing conception of public space. From the vantage point of those directly affected by this so-called “digital divide,” we find the internet acting as social infrastructure. Considering it as such is critical for a holistic understanding of the digital divide, and, more broadly, inequality of access to public space. In the United States, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)—the agency with jurisdiction over broadband access—data finds 21.3 million Americans lack access to a fixed broadband connection that meets sufficient connectivity thresholds of
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